Backpack essentials: Equipment, Skills, and more

Continuing the celebration of National Outdoors Month, today we’re going to introduce some essential backpacking tools, skills, and prep that will help ensure you return from your adventure happily. healthy and complete.

Preparing for a backpacking trip can be intimidating — there’s so much to think about! What will you eat? How much water do you need? What animals can you meet? Should you go into your local REI and grab one of everything, or can you walk away with just a shower curtain for shelter and a change of clothes like famous Appalachian Trail hiker Grandma Gatewood?

Really, all of these questions boil down to: What can kill you in the wild, and how can you successfully avoid them?

First and foremost, the work you do in front of you is for the sake of sustaining life. Also, you want to pack smart and not carry excess weight. Comfort is also a consideration. Given the choice, even the fittest of us don’t want to get too hot, too cold, hungry, thirsty, tired, itchy, sunburned, cracked or blistered. The backpack is strenuous enough without causing additional discomfort.

This is not meant to scare you! Backpacking can be truly transformative — an opportunity to escape the rigors of modern everyday life, explore places you can’t get to by car, test your physical and mental fortitude. you and reconnect with nature on a deep, soulful level. Backpacks are even more useful because it’s full of challenges. The right foundation prevents unnecessary suffering.

Backpack Checklist: What to Bring

You can (and probably will) spend months researching the best ultralight device, thinking through everything. It’s incredibly exciting and often overwhelming. Here’s an overview of what you need.

Protection from the elements

• Shelter and sleeping arrangements
• A way to make fire
• protect from the sun
• Clothing that is suitable for all weather possible (Choose breathable fabrics. Wool is a great choice. It comes in different weights for hot and cold temperatures and you can wear it for days before you wear it.) smelly.)

Protection from wild animals

• Insect sprays
• Horn
• Bear spray, bear container

Food and hydration

• Water and how to make it potable (filter, iodine tablets)
• Dish
• Cooking utensils (stove, pan, utensils)
• Electrolytes

guide

• Actual map of the area (not just on your phone)
• Compass
• GPS unit (optional but recommended, especially in the deep wilderness)

Injuries and diseases

Toilet

• Toiletries (soap, toothbrush, etc.)
• Bathroom supplies (shovel, toilet paper, bag of wipes if required)

Miscellany

• Headlight
• Knife, multitool
• Tape, repair kit
• Battery, charger
• Cash, credit card (in case you need to go back to civilization and buy food, equipment or a car ride again)

Tips for Backpacks

There’s so much more to backpacking than putting huge amounts of money on gear, lace up your boots, and head outside.

First, give yourself plenty of time to practice. As I said in last week’s training, backpacking is an endurance event. As with any kind of endurance feat, you need to prepare your body (and mind) for the physical (and mental) challenge. Tailor your training to the conditions you will face.

Learn how to use your device. Practice setting up and lowering your tent. Campfire. Try out your water filter and learn how to disassemble and clean it. Find out which of your devices have batteries or need charging and make sure you’ll have enough power for your trip.

Start small and work your way up. Head out for two or three nights before trying out the epic 10-day hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. If possible, befriend a more experienced backpacker who can help untangle these first outings.

Outdoor skills needed to master

Don’t hit the road without a working knowledge of skills that can save your life on the trail:

• Survival skills: How to build a fire (more than one way, ideally), how to build a basic shelter.
• Wildlife encounters: Can you meet snakes, bears, mountain lions, scorpions, elk? Know what to do.
• Guide: Can read old school maps and use compass. Don’t rely solely on GPS.
• First aid: Know how to deal with cuts, sprains, burns, fractures, and stings until you can get to a doctor or hospital if necessary.

Plan camping meals and food for hikers

Bringing the right amount of food takes good planning, plus some trial and error (another good reason to start with shorter outings). The goal is to carry enough to sustain yourself without carrying more than you need. Typical recommendations are 25 calories per pound of body weight per day, plus or minus 5 calories depending on how strenuous your trip is.

Of course, if you’re specific to the Low-carb Primal and keto diets, the usual calorie-loading advice doesn’t exactly apply to you. Whether you hope to eat your usual treats or strategically add carbs for extra energy, it’s a good idea to practice refueling during your hiking workouts and road trips. shorter. Endurance athletes have a saying: “Nothing new on race day.” In other words, don’t eat anything during the race that you haven’t used in training. That also applies here. Remember, your favorite at-home snacks won’t necessarily taste good when you’re hitting the eight-mile stretch of the hot mountain with a heavy pack. Test hydration and electrolytes while you’re at it.

Try a few meal options before you go. It would be silly to sit down to a much-anticipated dinner at the end of a long day only to discover that you absolutely hate those dehydrating meals you brought along.

Here are some meal and snack ideas to get you started.

Get excited!

Adventure awaits! And yes, there are a lot of details to learn before you go, but planning can be a lot of fun. Enlist the help of more seasoned backpackers. Take advantage of their wisdom. Learn from their mistakes. Maybe you can even borrow some equipment to try before you buy.

Be mentally prepared, but try not to overthink every decision. Don’t get bogged down in the minutia (“Should I buy trekking poles that weigh over an ounce but only have a 3.5-star rating?”) that get you into a stressful mess at the time of your trip. Your go passed. Remember, this is supposed to be fun.

Anyway, overthinking won’t help. Every trip will be a learning experience. You will discover things you like and things you wish you had done differently. No matter how prepared you are, there will always be surprises. Expecting the unexpected is part of the adventure. Tackle the here and now to roll with the punches, and you’ll have a much better experience.

Now get out there and do something epic!

Newbie backpacks – what’s your biggest burning question?
Backpack veterans – what’s your best advice?

Information about the Authors

Lindsay Taylor, Ph.D., is a senior writer and community manager for Primal Nutrition, a certified Primal Health Coach, and co-author of three keto cookbooks.

As a writer for Mark’s Daily Apple and a leader in the thriving Keto Reset and Primal Endurance communities, Lindsay’s job is to help people learn what, why, and how to lead a centered life. health. Before joining the Primal team, she earned her master’s degree and doctoral degree. in Personality and Social Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, where she also works as a researcher and instructor.

Lindsay lives in Northern California with her husband and two athletic sons. In her spare time, she enjoys running, triathlon, camping, and playing nights. Follow on Instagram @theusefuldish as Lindsay tries to juggle work, family, and endurance training, all while maintaining a healthy balance and, above all, having fun in her life.

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